Here is how I understand a brief history of Ukraine. The Russian empire was not a giant blob. It was divided up into oblasts which each had some admin city or capital. This was to prevent some govt admins from poaching from another when conscripting or taxing. Most empires were divided up like that. There was a geographic grouping of oblasts called Ukraine similar to New England or some such. Ukraine means border or frontier. Border of frontier of the Russian empire. That is why some people still call Ukraine "the" Ukraine. The border.
When the tsar fell 4 different regions declared independence in 1918. West, central,east, and Crimea. The reds conquered them all. Lenin created an SSR with new borders and named it Ukraine.When USSR fell Ukraine was an independent country. Russians did not squat in eastern Ukraine but some Ukrainians did migrate east for industrial jobs decreasing percent of Russians. Russian language was more common in the east and in big cities. Ukrainian was more rural and had a hillbilly aspect to it. Not cool. Zelensky did not speak Ukrainian when he first ran for office I believe. Even now it sucks.
Lenin caused trouble with his borders. Similar to Brits drawing borders in the middle east.
update
Chicago has the most number of Poles after Warsaw. He knew a couple from Lvov. They spoke Russian and Polish. AND English now.
He once joked that at his plant the employees were 40% white, 20% black, 20% Hispanic, and 20% Poles.
